A growing MLS released a 2012 schedule Thursday that is larger in just about every way. More teams, more games, more days and more TV exposure will make the league’s 17th season the biggest yet — literally.

The most significant differences from the ’11 campaign are the addition of the Montreal Impact as the 19th club, the arrival of NBC and the departure of Fox Soccer as MLS’ second broadcast partner and the shift from a balanced, home-and-away schedule to an imbalanced program that stresses conference rivalries.

In addition, all 323 regular-season games will be televised live on one of the league’s national or local outlets for the third consecutive year. This year, matches will be broadcast on NBC, NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus), ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, Univision, Canada’s TSN or the league’s Direct Kick subscription service.

NBC, which enters the first year of a three-year deal worth a reported $30 million, will show three regular-season games on its over-the-air network and 38 on NBC Sports Network.

The regular season begins March 10 and will conclude the evening of Oct. 28 with a marquee matchup between the reigning MLS Cup and Supporters Shield champion L.A. Galaxy and 2011 U.S. Open Cup winner Seattle Sounders at The Home Depot Center. In between, each of the 19 teams will play 34 games. The 10 Eastern Conference clubs will play 25 games within the conference and nine outside, and the Western teams will play 24 intra-conference matches and 10 against the East.

Like last season, 10 clubs will qualify for the MLS Cup playoffs. But for the first time in history, the MLS Cup final will take place at the stadium of the finalist with the better regular-season record rather than at a pre-determined site.

The 267-day span from March 10 to Dec. 1 represents the longest season in MLS history. Here are some fun facts about the ’12 schedule, followed by some games to highlight:

Notable facts

• MLS didn’t schedule any games on FIFA international fixture dates — the U.S. and Canada will have World Cup qualifying matches starting in early June — but said it would move games into those windows if both participating clubs agreed to do so to solve other planning issues.

• The league’s champion and marquee club, the L.A. Galaxy, will not play in the country’s most populous area — the I-95 corridor. L.A. won’t pay a visit to the New England Revolution, New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union or D.C. United in 2012. They’ll visit them all in ’13.

• ESPN will continue to televise the MLS Cup final and MLS All-Star Game for the duration of its contract, which expires at the conclusion of the ’14 season along with NBC’s contract.

• More than 83 percent of games are scheduled for weekends or holidays.

• The Vancouver Whitecaps will be “rewarded” for finishing tied for last place in ’11 with the league’s most difficult slate in ’12. SB Nation calculated the points-per-game of each club’s opponents, factoring in their performance at home and on the road, to arrive at the final ranking. Two other teams that missed the playoffs — the San Jose Earthquakes and Portland Timbers — are second and third. The easiest schedule belongs to the Columbus Crew, followed by the Houston Dynamo.

• Several other competitions will run concurrent with the MLS season. L.A., Seattle and Toronto FC will enter the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals in March and hope to advance to the finals in late April. The 2012-13 continental championship tournament will begin in July with L.A., Seattle, Houston and Real Salt Lake the American entrants and a Canadian team to be determined. The U.S.-based MLS teams will compete in the 99th annual U.S. Open Cup, and the three Canadian clubs will play in the Canadian Championship tournament that will qualify its winner for the CCL.

Notable dates

March 10: The season opens with five matches. The highlights: L.A. plays host to Real Salt Lake in a rematch of November’s fantastic Western Conference final and Montreal plays its first game at Vancouver. League MVP Dwayne De Rosario will kick off his season as D.C. United plays host to dangerous Sporting Kansas City.

March 11: NBC Sports Network launches its MLS broadcast season when the New York Red Bulls visit FC Dallas.

March 12: The Philadelphia Union plays at the Portland Timbers in the first of 21 regular-season games broadcast on ESPN or ESPN2.

March 17: The Montreal Impact play host to the Chicago Fire at Olympic Stadium in the first-ever MLS match in Quebec. Montreal coach Jesse Marsch played for the Fire for eight years.

April 28: MLS has scheduled nine games in a single day for the first time. Among the best: Seattle visits the Chicago Fire in a rematch of the ’11 Open Cup final and the Galaxy play host to FC Dallas.

May 12: NBC Sports Network will broadcast the Houston Dynamo’s first game in BBVA Compass Stadium as the Eastern Conference champs play host to D.C.

May 26: The year’s only MLS Cup final rematch takes place as L.A. visits Houston.

June 16: Montreal plays its first game at renovated Saputo Stadium against Seattle.

Sept. 15: Jeld-Wen Field and a Cascadia matchup between the Portland Timbers and visiting Seattle Sounders will be the first MLS game broadcast over the air by NBC.

Dec. 1: The MLS Cup final at a site to be determined by the preceding 337 regular season and playoff games.